Designing your organisation to incorporate high IQ, strong work ethic and emotional intelligence is 'intelligent design'.

Emotional intelligence is one of the deepest things you can help a business leader with - it can involve very big conversations for people.

It is a phrase that has become increasingly popular and many books have been written promoting the concept. Despite this, there is still widespread confusion as to what it actually means.

Emotional intelligence is not about understanding your colleagues, improving your networking or handling group dynamics better, although these are important offshoots. It's about becoming self aware, knowing yourself and managing your own self better.

This may sound simple but people differ hugely in their levels of personal awareness - in knowing what their preferences are, what they're strong at and what they're weak at. People also differ hugely in their ability to manage that.

Relationships with colleagues and being able to read group dynamics is important but that is well-trodden ground. Businesses already train their managers in teamwork, influencing and negotiating.

What emotional intelligence brings which is new is about knowing yourself and managing yourself.

This area is often labelled Intrapersonal Competence and describes the internal landscape. In my research with top teams in the likes of IBM, Dell, Depuy and Arts Organisations in Ireland, I have found that 'Star Performer' leaders have far higher than average intrapersonal competencies.

The biggest area where emotional intelligence is advantageous is in dealing with stress. People who are highly emotionally intelligent are very insightful into what stresses them out and how to counteract this. They know when they're stressed and can manage the impact of stress on the way they behave.

A good example of this is in knowing the difference between confidence and arrogance. Many people succeed in business because they are confident but under stress they can tip into arrogance very easily, particularly in pressurised situations. It is when this happens that someone can derail and start to make mistakes. They can overvalue their own opinion, miss critical advice and alienate colleagues.

What the emotionally intelligent person realises in these circumstances is that what was a strength - confidence - has turned against him or her.

Emotionally intelligent people also understand the meaning of their work and as a result are engaged at a higher performance level. In the workplace, if you know why you're doing the work, what your purpose is and what value it has for you then you're more likely to be engaged in it.

People who develop emotional intelligence also learn more quickly.

Consequently, if promoted they will take to a new role more easily.

To be emotionally self aware is to know how you're feeling at a particular time, what's causing it and to interact with that and not deny it. A huge practical benefit is that it stops you reacting to things too quickly and regretting what you did 20 seconds later.

I have worked with many of the methods by which emotional intelligence can be assessed and developed. I have many examples of people who may have been feeling a bit low and responding to work situations in a habitual way, but are now responding in a more directed way because they have developed competencies that the star performers have been using for some time. These competencies include self awareness, empathy, assertiveness, independence and optimism.

To improve your emotional intelligence I suggest strengths-based coaching. The only way to do it is to take a personal approach. Some people are extremely good at selfmanaged coaching and can coach themselves if given the right tools.

Most people, however, need one to one coaching. That can be two or three two-hour sessions or in some cases it may be a longer relationship of up to a year.

I encourage people interested in coaching to be wary of where they get it as there is very little real accreditation, regulation or research on outcomes within the industry. This is a situation that needs to change as not all current coaches will have qualifications in behavioural sciences. There are a lot of 'snake oil salesmen' out there.

Mike Fizser is a leading business management psychologist and course director for Napier University Business School's new Emotional Intelligence programme. For further information on the programme and how it can benefit you or your business, call 0131 455 4535.